Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Tommy at Five and a Half

You are a bit older than five and a half now. I still haven't quite gotten used to having a five year old, and in (what I know will feel like) just a few months I'm going to have a six year old!

As you get older, you are becoming a more concentrated version of your younger self. I suppose this is true for all people as they grow up, but it seems like it's more noticeable in you compared to Ben. For instance, you've loved cars since you were a baby, and you still really love cars. Every time we go to the library I'll ask you what kinds of things you want to learn about so we can get books about it. When you were three you would simply say "cars". You still say "cars", but add, "Actually, I want books about how cars work. Like how the engine and the motor works, and the brakes. And I want to learn about rally cars too. Because they're really cool." It's amazing to me that you've held on to your love of cars for so long, and it makes me wonder if they'll have anything to do with your occupation when you grow up.

You are such a good big brother to your foster-sister. You are always asking to feed her, touching her, talking to her, and asking how she's doing. One Sunday morning when I was getting everyone ready for church, you fed and and held her for about forty-five minutes while I got stuff done around the house. It was such a big help!

You have a dichotomy within yourself: you have a serious side that makes you ask thought-provoking questions like, "Why didn't God kill Satan right after he tempted Adam and Eve? Wouldn't that have made everything better?" But then two minutes later you'll be bouncing off the furniture or rolling around on the floor with your brother saying unbelievably silly things. It must be a 5 year old boy thing.

Your reading has really taken off. You are doing well with your daily lessons, and you are getting more fluent with your reading. You are finally starting to see that being able to read helps you understand the world around you. You are noticing that you can read things like road signs and book titles, without me having to prompt you to tell me what they say: "Mom, look, that says, 'Now Open'!".

I'm looking forward to seeing how you grow from now until your sixth birthday!